Quick & Easy Sweet Beets (Slideshow)

For quick pickled beets, add sliced steamed or roasted beets to a mixture of rice-wine vinegar, honey, chopped gingerroot, hot peppers and a little salt. The beets taste best after marinating for a couple of days. Store in the refrigerator and consume within a month.

Raw or Sauteed Beet Greens

If you’re lucky enough to get a bunch of beets with the green tops still attached, you can use them raw in salads, cook them as you would any leafy green or add them to smoothies. To sauté, first separate the leafy part from the tough stem. Cook the stems first (with a little olive oil, an acid like vinegar or citrus juice, and salt and pepper) until tender. Add the leafy greens at the last minute and cook until wilted.

Roasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash beets, place in a roasting pan with a little water, and cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 20 to 45 minutes, depending on size, until tender.

Steamed or Boiled

Wash beets and cook in a steamer, or simmer in water, covered, until tender. When the beets are cool, rub off the skin with a paper towel. Cut as desired (nice sliced on salads and pizzas).

Raw

Slice them thinly for recipes like carpaccio below, or grate for salads.